General

It's important to be at the Combined Audition Weekend if possible, but if not, join us at the next rehearsal weekend! Contact the Recruiter at to discuss your situation. We are glad to work out an alternative, but early communication is very important to give everyone a fair opportunity.e a fair opportunity.

All of the corps' equipment will be available at the camps, but there will be a lot of people there as well, particularly at the November Combined Audition. If necessary, we will rotate instruments between musicians throughout the weekend. The only way to guarantee yourself an instrument all weekend long is to bring your own. We do understand that it can be difficult to fly with certain instruments, so please use your judgment as to whether this pertains to your section. If you are driving to camp, please bring equipment with you. Also, please bring a mouthpiece and music stand with you if possible.

Audition packets contain tons of information about The Cadets and Cadets2 with tips, exercises, techniques and much more. It is an essential tool for anyone interested in becoming a Cadet and required if you want to audition. ​ If you're not ready to register this year, you can get a jump start on next year and start practicing now by purchasing it in advance.

We don't believe in the traditional "cut" system of some other organizations. You are at the audition camp for experience and feedback, and we will do our best to send you home feeling great about your weekend. At the camp, each auditionee will have a one-on-one evaluation with a staff member. Based on that audition as well as staff observations throughout rehearsals, our caption supervisors will personally speak with each auditionee at the end of the weekend, assigning them a rating of 1, 2 or 3 and giving specific tips for improvement and a suggested course of action. For more information, click here.

Most people wear exercise shorts and a T-shirt or tank top to rehearsals, regardless of the season. We won’t venture outside until the weather warms up, so the only warm clothes you’ll need will be to get to and from the airport. Be sure to wear pants in which you can freely move around. Tennis shoes are required. In case the school is chilly, dressing in layers is a good idea, so you may want to bring a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie with you as well.

Fees may seem like a huge expense, but it really breaks down to about $45 a day and includes four meals per day, travel, lodging, equipment, uniforms, instruction and fuel, not to mention the experience of a lifetime!
There are fundraisers available through the corps, and we will do our best to provide literature and information about raising funds to be a Cadet. Finances should NOT be a reason to stay away from the audition camp. Where there is a will, there is a way!
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You can see a breakdown of the fees for The Cadets and Cadets2 here.

Brass

Yes! This isn’t just about making the corps, it’s about becoming a better musician, learning from a great staff and meeting people from all over the country and world. You will learn a ton and you will have a great time.

You are more than welcome to demonstrate your skills on your primary instrument, especially since these instruments may now appear in our programs. However, you will be asked to play some material on a marching brass instrument as well, since we still play primarily on those.

All staff will base their decisions on ability and adaptability. Staff will look to see how quickly candidates can receive and apply information. During horn arc, sectionals and individual auditions, staff will listen for the following:

With more than 20 certified music educators on our faculty, we take great care to use the correct embouchure and performance techniques. You will find from both brass and percussion standpoints, we teach no different than a symphonic approach to the instruments. The only exception would be the actual marching percussion as there are some differences to the sticking on a marching instrument vs. concert percussion. There are quite a few of our members that are successful music education iand music performance music majors."

It is our mission to make sure every member has a great experience and is receiving an excellent education while with the Cadets. The staff and design team is comprised of professional working musicians, college professors and outstanding high school educators from some for the top programs in the United States. Our team is one that will provide you with a positive, engaging experience where you can be pushed to grow as a musician and performer.

Specific exercises and audition requirements will be in the brass handbook. Every candidate will be evaluated on their music and marching skills along with their attitude and personality. Each candidate will need to play individually for a member of the brass staff. This individual time will give candidates an opportunity to play the assigned excerpts as well as exercises from the brass handbook. This also gives each candidate a chance to interact directly with the staff and receive one on one instruction.

The corps has a full line of marching instruments, but due to the number of candidates auditioning, there may not be enough instruments to go around. For this reason, please bring your own marching instrument if you have access to one. You have the option to audition on any brass instrument of your choice, but staff will need to hear you on a bell front marching instrument during the Brass Routine and horn arc. Though you may bring your concert instrument to play for your audition, no french horns or trombones will be allowed in brass arcs. Concert tubas are acceptable if there are not enough marching tubas for each player.

Percussion

Color Guard

Travel

If you’re driving to camp, please plan to arrive at the camp site by 7 p.m. on Friday evening.
If you’re taking a plane, bus or train, please plan to arrive at the Philadelphia International Airport in time for a 6 p.m. pickup on Friday evening. (We will pick you up whenever necessary, but this will ensure that you arrive at camp in time for registration and rehearsal.)